Ultimate Slow Living Guide to Create a Cozy Home
Bloom where you are planted.
Whether you’re in your forever home or counting down the days until you can find it, your home is your home.
The importance to making our homes feel cozy, relaxing, and somewhere we want to bloom is huge, no matter where that is. It’s easy to play a game of “the grass is greener” for everybody, myself included.
Before we moved to our farmhouse we lived in a cookie cutter that I never decorated and therefore we weren’t very happy living in.
Instead of creating a space that felt like home, I just waited. Waited to move somewhere that we loved and were excited about instead of turning where we were into a place that made us happy.
Creating a cozy home is allowing yourself to have a happy, calm, and peaceful life.
Is your home your cozy safe haven?
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Using minimalism to create a cozy home
I’m so not a minimalist! There are more than 10 pieces of clothing in my closet and I’m sure I own over 10 coffee mugs. Our walls have pictures and our fridge has kids’ artwork hanging on it.
But I also can’t stand clutter.
When “surface disease” takes over and mail and coloring pages cover our kitchen table, I can’t think straight.
I’m more than a minimalist and less than a hoarder. I’m a cozy minimalist.
I like stuff in our home as long as it’s not all you can see. Manageable amounts of throws and pillows make me happy, because it’s warm and inviting for our family.
Importance of a cozy home
Working to create a cozy home that recharges rather than drains you is everything.
When you’re intentional about the things you put in your house, but allow the softness, textures, and, stuff to have a space there, you feel happier.
Decluttering your mind and decorating with meaningful things that put you in a good mood? Yes please!
Being able to relax in your home gives you a sense of security in an insecure world. You find yourself wanting to spend time at home, instead of constantly needing to go out.
Create yourself a cozy oasis, somewhere where it’s cozy and there are good snacks. Soon enough you’ll be spending more of your weekends there and saving money by cooking at home.
Elements to create a cozy home
So what does a cozy home consist of? Everyone has different styles, even under the “cozy minimalist” umbrella.
I’ve always known my style but wasn’t able to give it a definition until I read Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith. Isn’t it the best when someone else is able to put your thoughts into words?!
Here are some basic decorating tips to start with, and you can add them in your style, whether that’s farmhouse, boho, modern, etc.:
Temperature
You can’t be comfy if you’re sweating or freezing! Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature and dress accordingly. Layers are always super cozy, so I like to keep our home a little on the cooler side and wear layers. I’d so much rather be slightly chilly than blazing hot, but you might be the opposite!
I know there are temps that the “experts” recommend your home be at, but you know yourself the best. If heat makes you crabby, turn the air conditioning up or buy some fans! And if being frozen makes you get sick all the time, adjust accordingly.
Lighting
Hygge and cozy fans know that lighting matters.
The Danish who invented the term “hygge” swear by candles and low lamps (nothing fluorescent!) to improve the mood in their homes. Since they’re supposedly the happiest people in the world, I’ve got candles in most of the rooms in our house (minus kids’ rooms).
In the evenings after dinner and bedtime for the girls, the only light we have on is a big cozy lamp with a warm toned lightbulb. It’s easier on our eyes and just sets us up for a cozy night knitting or reading.
Warmth
We already covered the temperature of your home being cozy, but there is another way to add warmth.
I’m talking fireplaces!
I wish wish wish that we had a working fireplace, but our chimney recovery project here at this yellow farmhouse is solely cosmetic. The chimney was closed up long ago and doesn’t even pop out the roof anymore (there’s a cupola there now).
Fireplaces are the ultimate decor pieces in the cozy world. Besides the feeling of nostalgia when thinking about Santa coming down the fireplace, cozying up to the fireplace as an adult is the perfect way to end a fall or winter day.
However, if you’re like me and don’t have a fireplace, thank goodness for technology!
There are so many fireplaces you can stream on your TV or computer or even just on your phone.
My favorites are:
- Hulu Christmas Fireplace
- Prime Yule Log
- Netflix Fireplace For Your Home
- Disney+ Arendelle Yule Log
- YouTube Birchwood Crackling Fireplace
Whether it’s real or fake, warming up next to a fireplace makes any space super cozy.
Textures
Cozy textures, particularly big chunky knits and wooly cable knits bring life into your four walls and turn it into a home.
Blankets, pillows, even wall hangings in each room makes it look cozier, but it also makes your home feel more inviting.
Bonus cozy points for adding something with texture that was handmade by you. Especially in nurseries and kids’ rooms!
Ever go to someone’s chilly house and can’t see a blanket anywhere? Sure, you could ask for one, but introverts are much more likely to tough it out than to make that request.
Even if no guests use them, or if it’s the middle of July, drape a blanket over couches and chairs along with a few pillows. Keep a small basket of folded blankets in the corner, and learn to make your own macrame wall hanging for the dining room.
Books
We keep books everywhere in our house!
It’s one of the few things that we don’t try to hide in cabinets and closets. To me, books don’t count as clutter if you decorate with them. Instead of stuffing a bookcase full (besides the kids’ overflowing bookshelf) you can group small amounts together that either have the same colors or same theme on a shelf next to some plants.
One way to dress up books so they look like they belong together is with book covers. Buy coordinating colors or make yours own and stamp out their title or a cozy saying.
Nooks
Every cozy home needs a cozy, inviting space to snuggle up with a book, some knitting, or another one of your slow living hobbies!
If you don’t have a physical spot like a sun room or breakfast nook, choose a cushy chair or find your favorite spot on the couch and make sure there are always plenty of pillows and blankets ready.
My cozy nooks are the sun room bench, the couch, and my side of the bed. I try to keep a basket with my current knitting project near all of these places, along with something to read and a drink.
These areas could easily become cluttered, so you have to be intentional about making the drinks, books, and anything else you bring in with you look like decoration and not just somewhere you plopped all your trash down.
Nature
Plants and flowers are hygge.
Fresh air circulating through the house is relaxing.
The smells of freshly cut grass or a bonfire are so cozy.
Bringing the outside in is more than just a design element, but it’s also really great for mental health and stress levels, which makes your home even cozier.
Meaningful
The cozy hygge lifestyle revolves around community and connection.
When you fill your home with stuff just for the sake of having stuff, you’re adding clutter and chaos. Neither of which is very cozy. But when you decorate with pieces that are meaningful and hold a story, you’re bringing memories and connection into your home.
An afghan from your grandma or a painting made by your aunt are both full of meaning. They feel good to look at and use, plus they tell amazing stories that you can pass down. When you tell your kids about the pillow your mom knit you, you’re not just telling them about the pillow. Now you’ve opened the conversation up about your mom and family, and your kids get to have a new connection to something they might not have before.
What if…?
The secret to be able to create a cozy home is simple for anyone to do, whether you live in a:
- Cookie-cutter home
- Really old home
- Fixer upper
Not every cozy home looks the same. We all live in different parts of the world and different neighborhoods (or none at all if you’re out in the country!). Everybody has a different background and style, and your home is a reflection of you.
Try not to keep up with everyone else’s definition of “cozy” and don’t compare your “enough” to someone else’s “too much”.
How to create a cozy home
It sounds counter intuitive, but in order to bring coziness into your home, you have to first strip it down to the bare bones. Not long term (remember, we’re not talking minimalism here!), but by starting with a clean slate you can add the cozy elements mentioned above one by one. That way you’ll avoid putting all your decorations out at once and ending up with clutter and pieces that aren’t meaningful.
Start with one area
Start with one space in your house: a shelf, a nook, the kitchen table. If you spread yourself thin throughout your house and try to declutter and decorate everything at once, it’s probably going to take years and you’ll get discouraged long before you finish.
In our first house, I didn’t really decorate until a few months before we moved out and into this yellow farmhouse.
But there was one bookshelf that I did take the time to make cozy. It was right across from the pretty bathroom we completely remodeled in order to sell. I wanted a space to look at that made me happy besides the new bathroom!
I’m so happy that I started with that small bookshelf, because I didn’t have a big budget to decorate the whole house.
By starting with one area, you learn what you like and don’t like without blowing your budget on the whole house and barely seeing a difference. It’s a much bigger impact to make a cozy little nook that jumps out at you and excite you, than buying 5 new little knickknacks and spread them somewhere throughout your house.
Another thing to consider is your style. Just because something looks cozy on Pinterest doesn’t mean it will match your home. It’s a lot easier to catch decor gone wrong in one area than an entire house!
Use what you already have
You have some great, cozy things. Use those blankets, candles, and plants that you already have to style your cozy home.
I love using decorations that have a story or are meaningful to my family. It creates connection and helps you appreciate what you already have. Plus I’m always a fan of saving some money!
If something needs to be a little updated, get creative and bring some life back into it!
Search Pinterest for whatever you have plus “upcycle”, “repurpose”, or “makeover”.
Sometimes a fresh coat of paint or swapping in a new material is all you need to be excited about something you already owned and forgot about.
If you’re like me, you already have a box in your basement full of decorations that you fell in love with back in the day, didn’t give space to, and forgot about for awhile. Go find that box and see what you can makeover to match your cozy home.
Walk around your house, looking at shelves you forget are there and really look at everything that’s sitting out. Do you love it? Can it be updated or is there a better suited spot for it?
Don’t buy all new stuff and forget about the old special pieces you put away until you find the room. Really try decorating in a meaningful way by shopping what you already own!
Decorate using all five senses
Being cozy comes from all five senses.
We typically think of cozy as something you feel, like soft blankets and pillows. But you can add warmth to your home with candles in your favorite scents and homemade meals and baked goods.
You can also play music or have a fireplace (real or fake) crackling in the background. Decorate your space in a cozy way that feels right for you (lots of indoor plants and knits for me!) for something cozy you can always see.
Create a cozy home that’s handmade
Fill your home with things that are handmade.
Decorations made by friends, hand poured candles from a neighbor, a pantry of canned goods from the garden are all ways to bring in some comfort.
Try learning to knit a blanket that you drape on the couch. Or sew your own apron with your kids so that you have that memory every time you bake cookies.
Go beyond the front door
Don’t stop indoors! Cozy applies outside your front door and back patio, too.
Look for ways to bring cozy outside, and think of the outdoors as another room of your house. Lots of outdoor pillows, cushions, and rugs are super cozy.
Consider adding a fire pit or fireplace to gather around for bonfires with lots of cozy seating. Even though you’re already outside, add flowers and plants to your entertaining areas to add color and texture.
This is your cozy home space
Wherever home is to you, make it cozy. Bloom where you are planted and take care of your home.
When you create a cozy home that’s happy and calm to you, there are no wrong choices.
